Two Epstein Guards Put On Administrative Leave, Warden Reassigned - US Justice Department

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2019) Two prison guards assigned to the unit that housed accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein have been put on administrative leave after Epstein's reported suicide over the weekend, US Department of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said on Tuesday.

"The Bureau of Prisons ... placed on administrative leave two [Metropolitan Correctional Center] staff assigned to Mr. Epstein's unit pending the outcome of the investigations," Kupec said in a news release.

The Justice Department also said that US Attorney General William Barr directed the Bureau of Prisons to temporarily assign the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, pending the outcome of the FBI and Office of the Inspector General investigation into Epstein's death.

According to the release, Federal Correctional Institute Otisville Warden James Petrucci has been named acting warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.

On Monday, Barr said that the Justice Department had learned of "serious irregularities" at the New York jail.

Meanwhile, FBI and other federal agencies went to Epstein's island on Monday evening to seek any evidence that may implicate his inner circle, several media outlets reported citing unnamed sources, although they had photos of the raid.

The reported suicide has been met with suspicion because Epstein, who is linked to many famous and powerful people, was taken off suicide watch, inexplicably, despite reportedly trying to kill himself just weeks earlier.

On Saturday, media, citing law enforcement officers, reported that Epstein committed suicide at the prison where he had been held ahead of his pending trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors.

Police have been investigating Epstein for nearly two decades and arrested him in 2005 for molesting an underage girl. Epstein served a sentence of 13 months.

In July 2019, Epstein was arrested a second time for allegedly trafficking minor girls at his mansion for sex. Some of the charges dated back to the 2000s.

Epstein pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, but faced up to 45 years in prison had he been convicted.